Bio

Janisse Gracia was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. She began working with clay in 2011 and quickly became enamored with the medium and its processes. She received her BA from California State University, Northridge, in 2017 and has since devoted her practice to working as a studio artist, studio manager, lab technician, arts administrator, and educator. She currently serves as Director of Education & Programs for Green & Bisque Clayhouse in Pasadena and earned her MFA from CSU Northridge.

Artist Statement

I am a maker of objects.

My practice is driven by a desire to connect with myself, others, and the quiet weight of the everyday. I use clay and its processes as a vehicle for preservation, creating lasting artifacts while reconciling with feelings of longing, loss, memory, and the erosion of time.

Repetition is central to my process—rolling coils, pinching patterns, paddling forms. Through these slow, deliberate gestures, I explore the intimate labor of making and the ways objects can hold memory, care, and connection.